Converting This 80s Built Ford Mustang Drag Car From STRIP To STREET For Route 66! | Part 1 of 2

A guy bought a 80s build Ford Mustang II, which is a bracket drag car. My son and I flew to Tucson Dragway, In Tucson, AZ, to attempt to drive this car more than 1,800 miles back home! The first step is converting this car from track ready, to street ready. Will it run and drive on the street well? Let's find out! The WINNER Of the Ford F100 is also announced within this video!
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[@cadilakisrodcustom]

Merlin is one of those guys that really restores faith in the car community, he's such a good dude. His channel deserves so many more viewers!

[@VintageCars999]

Need his channel id

[@NonMovingTarget]

@@VintageCars999 it's @MerlinsOldSchoolGarage

[@VintageCars999]

@@NonMovingTarget thanks

[@caseyrenner7024]

Merlin Rules! I'd love to see him and Derrick do a model A project together! 🏁MOSG and VGG🏁

[@warrenmichael918]

@@VintageCars999 100% check him out. He does tons of different stuff and he just seems to know a bunch about everything....

[@garrylearmonth9313]

Cool to see father and son working together, Bailey will remember this time with his dad forever.

[@dionwilliams4297]

True

[@The.Real.Reaper]

Yup always like it when his little humans work with Dad. Looks like a solid built drag car too.

[@WTFIsThisGuyDoing233]

Even cooler that it's filmed. Wish I had a video memory of my dad and I working together

[@55benchguy]

@@WTFIsThisGuyDoing233 AMEN !!!!

[@Njazmo]

And the whole internet.

[@LOSTinS.C]

More Bailey please... His laid back attitude and slight sarcasm is golden!!! The fact that you and Jessica stay so busy but find ways to get the boys involved is truly wholesome. Love the channel. Thanks for all you do VGG fam.

[@josephmartinez3455]

I agree Bailey is great!

[@skip-a-doo]

i am impressed, your son Bailey hung in there with no complaints and a long hard night with setbacks. My dad died when i was real young but i was lucky, my step dad spent the time to teach me some of the same tricks i see on your channel. Merlin was right on, about how special you are with your family, you have a gift and its great to see you share it.

[@paulsmith6616]

Bailey is quite different to his brothers. His dead pan responses are too beautiful to miss!, a perfect foil for Dad who is super personable. I hope Bailey never forgets these moments with his Dad.

[@RidiculouslyLongName]

He definitely got his dad's sense of humor, but geared more towards the dry side. Which makes for a great straight man to Derek

[@hacker7201978]

He’s the straight man to D’s antics

[@dotrat1367]

We say ROOT in Massachusetts.

[@davidj4662]

@@jorgejiminez-rk1uu "that's goin somewhere" lol

[@user-lc7sl3ls5x]

root has a very different meaning here🐨🇦🇺🦘 so its rarely used when trying to be polite 😅😂😅😂😅😂

[@ModelA]

GREAT to see Bailey turnin some wrenches with dad! Absolute soul-cleansing, wholesome stuff that makes a feller's eyeballs sweat a little.

[@krwd]

yep

[@davidziegert7500]

Agree

[@dionwilliams4297]

🙏

[@dicktrickles1870]

I fuck

[@jamesspinks716]

You got some rust in your eye too?

[@Texas-Chris]

I really appreciate Bailey’s sense of humor !!! It’s also really great to see him keeping Dad in check. God Bless Y’all !!!

[@ZGryphon]

D: "We can work with this!" B: (sadly shakes head, says nothing)

[@louisgarguilojr2592]

Me and my father used to work together and he had the same flannel jacket. Brought back some great memories. Got a tear in my eyes. He passed in 2005. Wish I could have 5 more minutes with him. Great to see more father son memories being made. God bless brother.

[@davidryan573]

I loved the look on Bailey’s face pumping the gear oil, when you said only another 20 minutes 😂, can’t wait for part 2 thanks for bringing us along.

[@ViceGripGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@scottmk5]

For real he was like wait are you serious?? Could you imagine always having to wonder if a feller was being for real or not as a kid 🤣🤣

[@vancejohnson4395]

Super sweet revival so glad Bailey is involved too.

[@Jack-sf5yp]

Really great to see Bailey alongside and working with Dad on such a huge adventure ... ugly long hours, and as cold and loud as it may be ... all life-lessons that adds to your already good character. Thanks for taking us along. Looking forward to Part-2, and really appreciate the entire family, all your work, and the faith and ethics you share!! 42-Jack

[@1sicsrt]

I think it's so cool that your kids do this with you!! I truly hope that they cherish every moment and every experience with you, Derek!! My father was a long-time mechanic, as was his dad. I lost my father exactly 3 years ago at the time I wrote this, and I miss him every single second. I wish I'd hung out with him more, and I wish I was a better son than what I was. But more importantly, I wish I had spent more time with him like your kids appear to do with you. After my father's passing, I did acquire his big block, 1967 Cougar. The way this car sits now is just the way he and I put it together in 1983. Great videos!! Keep bringing the kids with you. I think it's very cool!!! Troy Travis Seattle, Wa.

[@frankmcgorman962]

You know things might go a bit sideways when your (almost??) teenage son agrees with you (mostly). I admire Bailey's straight talk and persistence. Turning wrenches and road tripping with your dad will be a priceless memory.

[@throttlewatch4614]

BAILEY !!! You have a fan here . Good seeing you spend time with your dad .

[@arekay21]

Man this reminds me of wrenching on cars with my old man when I was young. Miss those days. Cherish this time forever, man!

[@jenateer2518]

I love to see a father working with his children bonding and passing on knowledge and wisdom. They grow up so fast. So spend as much time as you can with them.

[@glvera749]

I love Bailey's honesty. Pretty cool hah. Bailey shakes his head and says "NO".

[@awj918]

Love seeing Bailey with you. Its not often we get to see him like the other two. He will remember this trip for the rest of his life.

[@user-ow4wd3up3w]

MERLIN!!!! That’s what we named our 53 Nash Ambassador Custom. It was my wife’s grandfathers name, and he owned the car. Love seeing the youngster grinding it out with you. Keep up the good work brother. You’ve inspired me to get our 80s VW camper back on the road(just did 1500 miles w the family for the eclipse) and restoring the Nash to working order. Thanks dude.

[@jrhutchinson4278]

Awesome to see Bailey on the channel and showing interest in things, his sarcasm reminds me of my daughters. Perfect.

[@deborahb2lil2latemashburn]

Enjoy seeing Bailey working along side Dad and the cute banter between them. Praying for nothing but good times rolling.

[@ViceGripGarage]

Fingers crossed!

[@professornuke7562]

We don't see a lot of Bailey. Bradreh aka Sasquatch Junior shows up a bit, and of course young Bentley has his own channel. Glad to see the infamous "middle child" is out and about.

[@czwij]

@@professornuke7562 been a while since we saw brother Bieri, the silent one....

[@billmcclister2755]

The light bulb on the alternator is an old-school trick to (excite) the alternator so it will start charging.

[@16Tango]

Over the last 8 months or so my 16 year old son and I have put a $500 86 SAAB Turbo back on the road for his first car. It has been a lot of fun hanging out with him and seeing his confidence grow as we got further into the revival, great memories.

[@marvinhutchison3007]

I really love your common sense, make it happen approach to things, and thus the whole “Vise Grip” Garage thing going on… I thank God that from a young age my Daddy taught me how to turn wrenches and make money with my hands. I only went halfway through the 10th grade, but ran my on towing and roadside assistance business, and preforming my on maintenance to the point of being able to retire from it at the age of 50. And my Daddy is prouder of me than anyone I know. Thank you Daddy, and thank you Derick!!

[@scottmk5]

Man this is one of my favorite episodes. Bailey is a great hand to help dad out and has some great commentary too

[@blaineharrell4146]

Derek. Absolutely the best production you’ve made yet. Having your son with you on this trip will be a memory that will stay with the two of you and the community forever.

[@ViceGripGarage]

Wow, thank you!

[@randymacsgarage]

And its Merlin for the win , southwestern hospitality at its best ,hell yeah brother!❤

[@ktsaylor5947]

Just saw the intro and already Love It ... Your Son is a Natural ! Love his understated humor !

[@hobo1452]

In a time when most kids can barely fix a bowl of cereal, Derek is teaching his boys a skill they can actually use. A good mechanical/electrical base knowledge can translate into so many different areas of employment opportunity. Also, having the ability to fix something is a valuable confidence builder.

[@thagerdorn2009]

Absolutely love seeing Bailey with you getting those hands dirty and bustin some knuckles. This is what sets you away from everyone else. Been a loyal fan since 3k subs. Never miss an upload! Keep being awesome Derek and fam!

[@ViceGripGarage]

Thank you for the kind words

[@thagerdorn2009]

You're welcome ​@@ViceGripGarage

[@bruceporter8978]

It’s awesome to see father and son together. Great memories made

[@Felony6S]

True American values! This channel has been truly wonderful to watch. These moments will never be forgotten, and something Bailey will tell his kids about later on in life! Wonderful family channel!

[@russupsidedowntopbottom955]

glad to see a fella and his little humans makin memories together. Life is a great experience share it with the ones you care about. I am sure the boy will be looking back to this one day with great memories of the time spent with dear old dad. ✌

[@stevew270]

Seeing you working with your boy has this guy's eyes all wet because my dad is no longer here, I miss getting to work with my old man. Thanks for all you share with us, Derek!

[@Norwegiansteam1]

Merlin’s the man! Makes sense he came to the rescue. He too drove a Model A half across the USA!

[@rickhaymond3477]

The car group of guys , and gals is a wonderful thing . Someone willing to drive 5 hours one way to help another car guy is true love of the sport . And the reason why he did it . Big thanks to you , Bailey , Merlin , I liked the tour you gave Paul of Rusty Acres .

[@MarkEwing-op8zg]

My Dad had a parts store/ shop when I was a young fella and when you walked in that speed shop I could smell it through the screen. Dang I miss my Dad! Thanks for sharing this memory with me.

[@BSAKat]

I love Bailey's turn as the straight man in this video.

[@moparman1962]

Bailey doing cool car stuff with his Dad...that is, playing with rigs that are mostly for fun, just for fun...and it's an hour long plus video of doing that and taking a cool road trip...priceless. We love videos like this from VGG, and Bailey is a young KZbin rock star just like Bradley and Bentley are. You've got this Bailey, no sweat.

[@scrapr65]

Seen you driving this down interstate 40 in Arkansas I was the guy in the white Chevy pickup that slowed down and gave you the thumbs up. You’re awesome you’re a true American!!!!!!

[@Llama1077]

Derek, you bring some of the greatest content on the interwebs. Can't wait for the trip home!

[@ViceGripGarage]

Wow, thanks!

[@karlknechtel2827]

A priceless memory for Bailey! I did much tinkering with my dad and enjoy the memories of them! I can't wait to see the next adventure on "Root" 66. My wife and I did some of it from St. Louis, MO to Winslow, AR and it was rough trying to stick to the road and follow it! Thanks for sharing these experiences!

[@kennyfisher8014]

DEREK is SO KIND 2 His Son , just like me , 👍💕

[@genesiedenburg9798]

Your kids will remember these times forever. Thanks for taking us along. ❤🇺🇲

[@Generalsnowbat]

Treasure this old gem please. ill have my own one day. First car was a non running 1978. My dad sold it before I was really old enough to be interested in learning in how to fix things. people hate on them but I think it's beautiful!

[@edwardlittle776]

Derek, Bailey looks like his mother he is a Lucky boy LOL. good job on father son outing. these are the memory making years

[@althomas6496]

The kids a natural straight man!

[@jimmykerns4964]

Awesome to see Bailey . Merlin is amazing. Vice Grip is the best!!!

[@ShadowBend]

Lil man had no faith from the start 🤣. 1800 miles is a decent trip for a modern car, but with a 80s built drag car? bold idea

[@ArKritz84]

Bold idea? That’s a bold statement. Or maybe an understatement…

[@that_thing_I_do]

Not so little anymore😊

[@crherniman]

I don't blame him. Nobody should have faith in a Mustang II

[@donfronterhouse4759]

Has he never watched his dad's channel before? I'm thinking he's got a pretty good success rate.😁

[@dionwilliams4297]

Lol

[@samueltorres7555]

Man, Bailey really gets in there... good helper. 👍🏽

[@greggronney7767]

First time seeing bailey work with you. Bailey appears to be an incredibly smart kid. Good job Bailey

[@Dan13grandpa]

Was great to see you and your son working together. I always like working with my sons. Two of my sons and I at one time run a gas station on Route 66. All we did was sell gas and oil, and we didn't fix flats or change oil. We pumped gas for the same price the self-serve places in town sold it for we stayed Busy all the time. We would sell 2300 to 2600 gallons of gas a day. A lot of the people who did the drive on Route 66 would stop in. Some of them wanted to take pictures of the us and the station. One guy took a picture of one of my sons standing by the gas pumps. He said he was writing a book and wanted to put the pictures he took in the book. I don't know if he got it done or not. If he did, I would like to see one. Love you and your family. Stay safe, and God bless. Dan 🇺🇸

[@friscoHub415]

Bro that kid grew time flies...one day my sone was in pre school and now he is a 24 year old man crazy god bless you and your family

[@Mr6384]

Bailey could be my new favorite! He is no nonsense! Enjoy watching your two

[@jaystax8370]

We all know Merlin. Talk about someone who knows everything mechanical. Like EVERYTHING. He is a walking piece of knowledge.

[@Kaizo2020]

Merlin is such an awesome guy and is one of those guys that goes way out of the way for his friends. Bailey will always remember that time a guy and a guy took a trip such great memory's being made wish my dad was half as cool as Derek is.

[@kolbycheek12]

At work programming a piece of equipment board and scrolling then I see a vgg video this early in the day. Perfect way to spend the next 40-50 min wile sitting in a tractor watching a progress bar slowly go up.

[@markbrady1863]

Your son’s optimism is great. “We’re not gonna make it.” Needs to be on a shirt or sticker. 😆😆

[@williesteinecker1014]

Thanks Derek and Bailey! This was a great episode, can't wait for next week! 🇺🇸🦅

[@CharlieB195]

I too, like Merlin, am stoked that Bailey is there with you. You letting your boys be part of your wrenching is part of what draws me to the channel.

[@arrestedsteve8276]

It was great to see Bailey involved in this one. He did an awesome job. He even gave me a laugh or two. Onya Bailey!

[@joaoruigsg]

Like a dream come true! Doing that with your son... WOW! Beautiful! Can't wait to see the rest! Chears!

[@spool_1_diesel]

another amazing video glad to see that your son finally felt comfortable making a video with you love brad and bent too on the channel met you guys at cleets last freedom 500 and you guys are genuinely amazing people and i didn’t feel nervous talking to a feller or his fellet and kids at all keep it up derrick if your ever in alabama and need something or someones help u got my family to count on every time god bless!!

[@JCbull]

Great to see a father and son spend time together. Priceless !!!!!

[@that_thing_I_do]

After dinner, entertainment with a bucket of Orville's and a wobbly pop. 😅

[@dionwilliams4297]

😅😅

[@daymoncleveland0622]

Redenbacher is an inferior popcorn. Jolly Time for the win!

[@that_thing_I_do]

​@@daymoncleveland0622I'll give her a try.

[@bradmiller2464]

Love that Merlin could help. He is a great guy.

[@rayscrafield2106]

Your son Bailey reminds me so much of me and the relationship you two have remind me of my Dad and myself when I was that age. You are giving him a treasure more valuable than anything else on Earth. You are a great Dad. Please, keep this type of video coming. Great content. Love it!

[@Jim_M_75]

Bleep bloop.... Shell Rotella 15 / 40, has all the vitamins and dinosaurs a fella needs. Great episode Derek, it's been a pleasure to see your boys grow on here over the years. Your a good man and a great Dad.

[@lanalyons5206]

Great job Bailey! This is so wonderful that you have a father and mother that have raised you and your brother's the way they have. In this time of lack of partnering, your family has won the lottery! Derek, another one for the books! So proud to be a part of this journey again.🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@liquorboys9492]

56:50 High test wobble pop lol

[@JohnBurdette-or7if]

All right, good looking stang II….couple of friends of mine had several different types growing up, From mustangs to cobras ect. Love those mustang II’s. So many great models from the 60s and 70s from all makes and models .

[@danimal0921]

@ViceGripGarage Derek my friend you are such a BLESSED MAN!!!!! To have your sons taking an interest in your business the way they do is so very special! I can't even imagine how it feels. I was an OTR owner operator of a big truck and frequently offered for my son to come along with me when he was on break from school. He took me up on my offer a few times if it was a day trip. However if it was one or more nights out he didn't want anything to do with it. I knew early on that he had zero interest in taking over the business when I retired so I was forced to allow my business to just die. It was a pretty emotional moment but now I'm retired I am blessed with the ability to enjoy and SPOIL THE CRAP out of my 5 amazing awesome grandchildren!!!!! That alone made the sadness of my business dying be so very minimal. I shed about 6 tears and before the 7th could fall I had 5 grandchillens crawling all over me!!! Trucking business what??? Business closed what??? Sold my tractor and trailer what??? Life goes on!

[@paulwilliams7816]

The look on Bailey's face when you said 20min to go with pumping the diff oil in made me laugh so hard

[@molinelligarage1004]

The bulb is like your Amp light..only comes on when it's not charging or not running Great video ...really enjoyed this one

[@ryanpeterson7713]

One of the best memories you and your son will always remember!💪

[@tylersmith7054]

I’m in the garage working on my C10 with VGG on in the background. A guy is on his back cursing brake lines thinking “Derek should revive a fox body“ and this gets uploaded. Missed the mark by a hair. Perfect.

[@jacksonbennett6151]

0:40 definitely a “don’t tell mom” scenario!

[@LenaDangerously]

I love Bailey’s sense of humor so much! 😂😂😂

[@tallblokesam]

Friday evening here in the UK. Just home from work, opened a beer and found an unexpected VGG! Excellent! 🍻❤

[@1969BBC]

It's going to be a great Friday because a video from the best channel on the tubes of you.

[@krammerstewart4739]

Nice to see father and son work together

[@robertgreig9936]

I've always wanted to drive the Route 66 in a Ford Mustang. ❤ that your taking one of your little humans with you. Making memories and having fun.

[@8056443232]

Self-contained heaters are readily available - run 12v to the fan, (could put a plug on the wires for a cigarette lighter/12v outlet) hoses to and from, (seems most of your engines have the heater bypassed with a loop, easy to plumb it in) some have vents right on the box so you can 'throw' the air where it helps most (including windscreen) and then when you get home take it out for the next one. Marine versions are housed in plastic, others are metal, some have vents right on the box, others have outlets and some with flex hose and vents to zip tie in place. In a few seconds of searching, I found half a dozen, all for less than a hundred bucks, several fancier ones for under three. Might help in future rescues.

[@jasonpetersen6532]

I love seeing Bailey on the road with you. We don't see enough of him. He seems like a great kid! Good seeing Merlin too. Great video Derek!

[@ajbush413]

"I kinda like this thing!" "I don't" BRUTAL 😂😂😂

[@christianbattestin9747]

Great to see your son taking an interest. I started at about age 2, with my mother and grandparents buying me toy cars. And of course watching the Dukes. I am going on 43 now ( typing in May 2024).

[@derrickblackwell4775]

As funny as Mr. Car Guy is , love the fact he explains things and why I’ve learned a great deal just watching his videos Thank you 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@moparman1962]

Merlin flat rocks...he's an awesome, knowledgeable mechanic, fabricator and all around car guy! Merlin...thank you for helping Derek and Bailey out with the Ford 9" pumpkin they needed!

[@bradkerr1977]

Shout out to Merlin!! I watch him on Vegas Rat Rods and Welder Up channel doing revivals. I always liked Merlin he was always a favourite for me do to his knowledge and expertise. Very good mechanic can get anything to run as well!

[@STSmithable]

This one has an even better vibe than normal! Love the 80s disco stang

[@Rob4real-qi6hg]

This is definitely one of my favorite channels actually the only one I have payed for lol you definitely can learn a lot from this channel me and my son both watch

[@robertheinemann249]

Derek, one of your best videos, enjoyed you working with your son, my son is now almost 40 and he still has the knowledge he received when I helped him maintain and fix some of his first cars.

[@Gingle-Coin]

Super impressed! Also props to Bailey getting this revivalish hopefully I’m sure it was successful. I’m commenting before the part 2. Again impressed, you guys work well together. Didn’t waste no time getting on the road. Greatest content yet.

[@rickbusitzky3353]

You are an awesome dad involving your sons and teaching them the right things in life. I truly respect what you are doing! That is the mark of a dad that no son would ever forget. My dad was just like you and he could fix anything and tried to do the same. I really miss him since has passed, but you remind me of him alot. By the way, I was also raised in Minnesota. Bless you and your family. Love your channels (including Little Grip Garage.

[@dallasdorrington7449]

Absolutely fantastic seeing father and son swinging wrenches together and working on such an interesting car. So lucky to have this very special quality time together working on the old Mustang drag car. Derek really pulled out a great video with Bailey and passing along his knowledge to his son. It's how life should be. Great work Bailey and Derek, you're the man with the best KZbin channel by far. Can't wait for the road trip home. Cheers.

[@montanamountainman]

Derek, you should hit that lexan with a torch real lightly. Should be able to get some visibility back into them 🤷‍♂️ love seeing you working with your boy

[@dorianmilam3519]

It is really neat to be a witness to a wonderful father and son memory.

[@steveharper3559]

Yes more of Bailey please! The kid’s seeming indifference is a hoot!

[@bobbyclark6843]

Building memories with those boys is something special. I have so many fund memories of me and my dad working together on his old cars and other projects. Dad is gone now but I have all those memories of him and me and all he taught me.

[@elit3401]

Father and son time , Priceless!